Zysis Receives US Patent for Long Acting Oral Aripiprazole Once Weekly

Portfolio company Zysis, a private pharmaceutical company optimising therapies for disorders of the Central Nervous System, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted U.S. patent 8,575,172 covering its Phase II ready Long Acting Oral Aripiprazole Once Weekly (LAO Aripiprazole OW) product, a first-in-class antipsychotic therapy for orally dosed relapse prevention in patients suffering from Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders.

LAO Aripiprazole OW with medically supervised dosing is an alternative option to Long Acting Injectables (LAI) in the rapidly expanding market for prevention of psychotic relapse.  Non-adherence rates are extremely high with schizophrenia therapy; around 75% of patients are non-adherent within two years of being discharged from hospital, the consequences of which are medically and economically severe with 69% of patients with poor adherence suffering a relapse.

Peter Cozens, Chairman of Zysis said: “LAO Aripiprazole OW is a promising, cost effective option in the treatment of Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder and Bipolar Disorders for the large number of patients struggling with adherence.   We are very pleased to receive the U.S. Patent. This is an important event for Zysis. LAO Aripiprazole OW represents a breakthrough treatment providing another option to address unmet patient needs while improving their quality of life.”

Dr Robert Millet, Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and renowned US expert in long-acting therapies for the treatment of psychotic symptoms at Carolina Behavioral Care added: “I see adherence as a major factor in schizophrenia treatment today and this once weekly therapy has the potential to provide a very real benefit in relapse prevention for those patients struggling to comply to daily oral treatment but who are not ready for monthly injectable therapy”

Professor Allan Young, Professor of Psychiatry at Imperial College London added: “Adherence is a big issue and contributes significantly to poorer outcomes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The potential market for a weekly oral antipsychotic would likely be significant, and an accompanying “compliance” package would be welcomed by the community.”

The recently granted U.S. Patent covers the treatment of psychotic conditions with orally-delivered formulations of aripiprazole that provide for sustained-release, once-weekly therapy. Patents have already been granted in Europe, Israel and Australia and applications are pending in Canada, South Korea and Japan. The new patent and related applications are all solely owned by Zysis.